By using some of the above links, you're helping to support the running of LiatoF. Thank you!

Star rating:Heat rating:

Stacey Winters is in love with love, but so far, she’s only found Mr. Dud, Mr. Cheater, and Mr. Boring. Even though her best friend Grant isn’t an option, at least being around him offers her a window into the male psyche—and sets the bar high for her future Mr. Right.

But then she accidentally crosses the friend zone and kisses him, and it starts to feel a little too much like he might be what she’s been looking for...

Grant Phillips doesn’t do relationships. A casualty of the foster care system, he knows people are just looking for a reason to bolt. "No attachments" is his hard and fast rule. There's only one exception: his best friend, Stacey. He refuses to jeopardize what they have.

But now that he knows how good it felt to kiss her, felt the addictive slide of her body against his, Stacey Winters is indelibly stamped onto Grant's brain—and not just as his friend.

He is so screwed.

The Faerie Queen’s review

After a couple dud books, I needed something cute, and The Best Friend Incident delivered. With just enough angst and a conflict that didn’t last too long, it was a quick, sweet read about two best friends who start to feel some non-friendy things for each other after a case of mistaken identity in the dark. And it came complete with a wise old man!

Stacey was a very bubbly sort, but not in an overbearing way. She was caring and ambitious, and she clearly had to be very detail-oriented to start a business creating perfect romantic dates for couples. (By the way, what a great idea, catering to people who want to be romantic but aren’t good at organising dates or don’t have time to.) I loved that she was a romantic; she knew what she wanted, and why should she have to settle?

Meanwhile, Grant was a commitment-phobe, but he never came across as a player like you’ll find in other books. Yeah, he set expectations low – fun but nothing long-term – but it didn’t seem like he just went around sleeping with women. In fact, Grant was actually quite a gentleman, at least what we saw of him. I liked that he was clearly an introvert, preferring to either work on his recipes or be outdoors, while also having some abandonment issues (but who wouldn’t given his background???). Yeah, I’m going to claim him for Team Introvert. Fight me. And all the talk of outdoors? This homebody started looking up where to find nearby forests just outside of London. That’s how convincing Stacey and Grant were.

I’m going to tentatively put Grant in the Beta Hero category, even though I’m still trying to figure out what exactly a beta hero is. Here’s why: Grant wasn’t pushy or domineering, and while he did get a bit jealous here and there, he was never possessive. Also, he was very respectful and supportive of Stacey, and when he did screw up, it was because he was trying to help her get what she wanted, which was a guy who would offer her true love and permanence.

Together, it was very clear they’d be a good match, and I’m surprised it took so long for them to figure that out. How did they get through their teens without any experimental kisses? But then, I suppose, this would be a YA romance and not an adult one, and then we’d miss out on the few but just steamy enough sexytimes. Plus, I must be maturing myself if I like reading about people who actually have their lives and what they want figured out.

Funnily enough, what really stole the show for me was Julian. Julian was the true hero. In his 80s and romantic as hell, he dished out excellent relationship advice and set my standards for a man much higher than any romance novel before. Because instead of doing anything over-the-top “romantic”, what he did was love and cherish his wife completely for sixty years, still talking about how amazing she is after decades together. Guys, that’s all I want! Someone to love me even when I’m old and falling to pieces (more than I am now).

Like I said, it was sweet and little bit spicy with not too much angst, and it was just what I needed to start getting me out of my funk.

I would recommend this book to…

Anyone who needs a simple little pick-me-up in the form of a sexy friends-to-more story

About Melia Alexander

I write sassy, sexy, fun contemporary romance novels. I’ve won a couple of awards, and after a dozen years of writing, I’d finally learned enough to sell my first book to Entangled Publishing!